Jim Harbaugh Research Paper

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It 's insane that a college football coach could make more than $7 million annually. It 's especially crazy in a multibillion-dollar sports/entertainment entity that still — laughingly — passes itself off as a nonprofit operation in order to maintain its federal antitrust protection.

But it 's the price of doing business. Or rather, the price of doing "nonprofit business."

It 's an approach dripping with hypocrisy. Michigan should be able to pay Jim Harbaugh whatever it can because college football coaching is a market-driven profession. According to a USA TODAY Sports coaching salary study, Harbaugh is set to be the second-highest-paid college football coach this season — behind Alabama 's Nick Saban — at more than $7 million.

Free market …show more content…

But it 's also why Wisconsin chancellor Dr. Rebecca Blank came off as appreciatively antiquated in her thinking when she told USA TODAY Sports that she had a serious problem with fellow Big Ten programs like Michigan and Ohio State paying football coaches such outrageous sums.

The Buckeyes ' Urban Meyer ranked third on the USA TODAY list at $5.9 million. Michigan State 's Mark Dantonio ranked fifth in the Big Ten and 21st overall at $3.7 million.

"That really begins to threaten the whole sense that we are not professional athletic teams," Blank said. "I 'm not terribly happy about the fact that they made those choices. That 's my opinion."

But at least the Badgers practice what they preach. The salary for their football coach has remained basically the same the past four years. And Wisconsin is on its third coach during that time frame, partly because it refused to better compensate its coach and assistants.

It might not move Wisconsin closer to the College Football Playoff. But at least it can look itself in the mirror and not see a flaming hypocrite.

Spread sheet: A 14-10 overall record — following a 3-3 week against the point spread (thanks again for nothing, Sparty) — for the all-seeing, all-knowing famed seer, sage, soothsayer and former recruiting entertainment director for Louisville basketball … The

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